


Razzle Dazzle

by Fire_Bear



Series: AFTG Bingo 2020 [7]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Burlesque Club, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Burlesque, Detectives, Flirting, M/M, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26216302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: On their 25th birthday, the Minyard twins are taken to The Fox's Paws by their cousin, Nicky. Andrew doesn't expect to like it enough to go back, but there's one particular performer that he's drawn to and his expectations are not met.Then, a murdered Jane Doe leads Andrew and his partner Kevin back to the club, and his worlds collide.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: AFTG Bingo 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817614
Comments: 12
Kudos: 69
Collections: All For The Game Bingo 2020





	Razzle Dazzle

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided to do the Burlesque AU square on the Bingo, but wanted something more than "one works there, the other falls for him and keeps going back" and I think [this particular story](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1082745) was in my head, so this happened. (I'm not putting it as this was inspired by it, because it was only really the detail of the detectives being in a club, so I don't think that counts?)
> 
> Anyways, I feel like I struggle with Andrew's POV, but this was easier - probably because of how gay Andrew is being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from [Fever by Peggy Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8).

If anyone ever asked Andrew how it all started, he would blame Nicky. 

For Andrew and Aaron’s 25th birthday, Nicky insisted on doing something different. “It’s your 25th!” he had proclaimed. “You’ve got to do something big and fun and unusual or else you’re just boring!”

After much whining on Nicky’s part, Andrew had agreed and Aaron had resigned himself to going along with whatever Nicky was planning. It had been kept a secret until the night of and Kevin had grumbled about being taken from his work, but had ultimately come with them. And so the four of them ended up at a club Andrew had driven by several times before, but had never been in. 

_The Fox’s Paws_ was at the edge of the district with the highest concentration of bars and clubs. On the other side of it were the seediest motels and then the highway. Andrew had never had the desire to go to it, especially when he had learnt that it was some sort of strip club. Naked women were not something he wished to look at.

“It’s not a strip club!” Nicky exclaimed, aghast. Aaron had helpfully pointed it out as Andrew parked the car in the small parking lot attached to the building. “It’s a _burlesque_ club.”

“Isn’t that just the same thing?” Aaron said, rolling his eyes at Nicky.

Nicky spluttered and shook his head. “God. No! You’ll see when we get inside, but it’s more fun. Though I do wish more men would do it, but I figured I was outnumbered. I can just ogle the bartenders.”

Andrew pressed the button for his belt. “Nicky,” he said in warning.

“I know, I know,” Nicky replied, quickly holding his hands up.

“Anyway,” said Aaron, pointedly. “This had better be worth it. I’ve got reading material to go over.” Apparently Aaron was enough of a doctor that they were giving him students to educate.

“All work and no play makes Aaron pent up and grumpy,” Nicky sang.

“Urgh.”

“Are we going in before the queue gets too long or not?” Kevin demanded, eyeing up the people who were hovering around the door.

With a sickening grin, Nicky led them to the door. He waved some sort of card at the bouncers on the door and they were allowed in. “VIP passes,” he explained to the others. “I bought them especially for tonight. Lets you skip the queue inside. Not that there’s much of a difference, it just means we’ll find a good table.”

Ignoring Nicky, Andrew surveyed their surroundings. The door had led into a hallway wide enough for them to spread out if needed. Lush orange and black colours surrounded them: dark orange carpet; orange drapes; black walls with orange splodges. On their left was a cloakroom that they ignored. To the right were a series of doors to the bathrooms - there was even one for people with wheelchairs. A man dressed like a waiter stood at the next doorway that was partially hidden by drapes instead of a wooden barrier. He held them out of their way and bowed to them. 

Once they were out of earshot, Aaron muttered, “What the fuck is this place?”

Andrew had to agree with Aaron. Instead of the usual bar and dance floor setup, the place was packed full of round tables and chairs. The colour scheme was the same as in the entranceway and more orange drapes captured the light from the lamps on each table. A bar did take up the space against one wall, but Andrew spotted waitresses in corsets and more waiters with bowties and tight trousers. At the far end of the room, in the direction all the chairs were facing, was a stage, the lights on it dim for now. Atop it was a single chair and no pole, as Andrew had been expecting ever since Nicky announced where they were going. Looking up, Andrew spotted a chandelier, quite likely fake. The music filling the air wasn’t the usual bass-heavy dance numbers that Andrew let pound around him. Instead, slow jazz caressed them, drawing them in to dance or relax.

All in all, Andrew was intrigued.

“We better get good seats!” Nicky declared as he began to make his way through the room. He weaved his way around the tables as they followed. Andrew didn’t pay much attention to where they were going; one of the waiters was bent over a table, his ass nicely framed by his pants. “This’ll be best!”

When Andrew looked, he realised that Nicky had chosen a table rather close to the stage. Thankfully, he hadn’t attempted to coerce them into sitting right at the front, but he had managed to snag a table that would have a clear view. It would have been a nice gesture if either Andrew or Aaron actually cared about the place. Still, there was no reason to argue so Andrew took the best position and waved down that nicely shaped waiter.

Once they’d ordered and the waiter had left, Kevin spoke up. “Why’s there only the one stage? I mean, I’ve been in strip clubs - for work,” he quickly added. “And there’s usually more than one stage.”

“This is more like theatre than that,” Nicky explained. “It’s a lot of fun, even if there aren’t many guys who do it.”

“Thankfully,” Aaron muttered. Andrew didn’t say anything.

“So it’s a play?” Kevin asked. Andrew suppressed the urge to roll eyes; Kevin was clearly discomfited by his lack of knowledge.

“Not exactly,” Nicky answered.

By some miracle, their conversation was interrupted by a tray full of drinks. Andrew shoved drinks towards Kevin in an effort to make him shut up. He let Nicky’s inane chatter go in one ear and out the other as he made his way through his own drinks. The room slowly filled up. Chatter and cheering grew louder, drowning out the music. Staff moved to and fro. A few tested things on the stage, moving microphones around and turning lights on and off.

Finally, the lights dimmed. Squeals and giggling rent the air as people hushed each other. The waiters and waitresses moved to the side, hovering in the shadows. Shuffling noises reached Andrew as everyone turned to look at the stage. Even Nicky held his breath as they waited.

A spotlight was shone on the stage as two women appeared from behind the curtain. Both of them wore fancy dresses with little top hats attached to their hair. The black material that made up their dresses was shot through with orange and Andrew sensed there was a theme. They stepped up to the microphones and began to sing, a slow sensual song. Andrew leaned back in his seat, intrigued. It wasn’t long before they were joined by a woman in a leotard who danced behind them, her body contorted into shapes that were pretty and, presumably, pleasing to those attracted to women. Aaron certainly sat up, putting aside his phone to pay attention.

When the song finished, the club erupted in applause and wolf-whistles. The ladies onstage curtsied, blew kisses to everyone, and hurried off stage. As they disappeared behind the curtain, another woman took to the stage. This one was wearing a pastel pink waistcoat to match the little top hat attached to her white locks. A pastel rainbow adorned the tips of her hair which brushed against her shoulders as she turned to gesture to the women.

“The Gals and Doll, ladies and gentlemen,” the women said with a serene smile. Something squirmed in Andrew’s gut and he narrowed his eyes, sure that there was something off about her. Of course, it could just be that she was putting on an act, but Andrew felt that it might be deeper than that. As she clapped her hands, careful of the mic, the rest of the room applauded once more and Andrew surveyed her, watching the way she carefully held her body. Then she held up the mic and began to speak again, welcoming everyone to the club.

“Now,” said the woman, apparently called Renee, their ‘host for the evening’. “I know that we have some new faces here tonight. Who among us haven’t been here before?” A smattering of people who had obviously been dragged there by their friends raised their hands. Andrew, Aaron and Kevin didn’t bother, but Nicky waved and pointed at them. “Well, don’t you worry about anything. This place will put the fun back into sexuality and you needn’t feel so awkward.” She paused, smiling at them all as if to put them at ease. “There are some birthday parties here tonight, are there not?” 

Nicky cheered along with a couple of other groups. However, since he was directly in Renee’s eyesight, his waving and pointing at his cousins attracted her attention more than the others. She chuckled into the mic and looked right at the twins. “Happy birthday,” she said before she looked over the room. “To all of you. I hope this will make your night. Now, let us begin. Here is Eve, a woman trying to get back to basics, as it were…”

Behind her, the curtains parted to reveal a background that was obviously made using a projector on a screen. The woman who came on did so gracefully, despite the multiple clothes she was evidently wearing. Andrew stared and watched as she began to strip to music that skipped and changed to older songs. As it did, the background morphed, becoming a scene from history. Her clothes changed from complicated things into something more simplistic until she was only wearing a bra and matching knickers, both of them matching the colour of her skin so that she looked like she was naked.

And the night went on much like that. There was stand-up comedy, elegant dancing, more stripping, that thing with the chair. Most of it was done in Victorian or Edwardian style clothing and a lot of it was skirts. Some of it was done with leotards or tutus. It was really strange, but was evidently geared towards straight or bi people since not a single man had come on stage that was the focus of the act. They mostly ended up as background dancers or to lift the woman to show them off more. Strangely, the majority of the audience were women and they seemed to love the acts. Andrew shrugged it off; it wasn’t important when he had alcohol to drink and a cousin to ignore.

He only really perked up again near the end of the night when Renee turned up again. Andrew was busy checking out one of the waiters out of the corner of his eye when she announced the next act. “Now, this act is something special. Something unique. Not just any burlesque club will have this. They’re our favourite and we hope they’re your favourite, too. So, we at the Fox’s Paws would like to present… Scarlett.”

Some of the regulars cheered and screamed their approval. Andrew raised a brow and watched the stage, pushing Kevin upright as he slouched into him. Just as the noise level was becoming a bit too much, the stage was plunged into darkness. There was movement and then the lights came back up revealing two people.

One was a shirtless man. He wore suspenders and a trilby. His muscles looked delicious, though his eyebrows made his face look a little scrunched up. Andrew dismissed him and glanced at the other person on stage - and stilled, staring.

Scarlett - for who else could it be - was all dolled up like the stereotypical women from Western movies, the ones who would be found in the brothels or something like that. The short, red dress and impressive bustle clung to Scarlett’s body and the corset enhanced their cleavage - though there was something _off_ about it. Their legs were thick yet lean and didn’t look as dainty as some of the rest of the women. An impressive butterfly clasp kept their red hair piled atop their head. But the most striking thing about them, despite their attire, was the piercing blue eyes. Flicking out a fan in a glove-covered hand, Scarlett wafted it in front of them before hiding their mouth as their lips quirked up into a small smile. 

And then [the music started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8). As soon as it did, Scarlett spun on their heel and stalked away, ignoring the man who came rushing towards them, acting out that he was begging for them. Scarlett only pushed him away, handing him their fan at the same time. From then on, there was a push and pull between them. The man would ask for their attention and Scarlett would rebuff him. 

When Scarlett began to undress (starting with the gloves), each item of clothing smacked the man away. One of the gloves hit him in the face so hard that Andrew could hear it. People were giggling and they outright laughed when the man crawled towards Scarlett and implored him on his knees; Scarlett stopped him with his stiletto and waved his finger at him before kicking him away. Those shoes were the next to go, followed by the stockings. The bustle was flung over the man’s head so that he struggled against it for a moment. By that point, people were clearly enjoying the performance and they were shouting out comments.

“Yeah, girl!”

“Get it!”

“Step on me, too!”

“Work it! Harder!”

As the song began to end, the man became more desperate. He flung himself at Scarlett repeatedly and even went so far as to cling to their ankle. Andrew’s fingers twitched; if anyone did that to him, they would definitely be getting a knife to their eye. Instead, Scarlett pried him off and pulled the clasp from their hair. They dropped it onto the ground in front of the man who scrambled to pick it up. Once he had it, he stared adoringly up at Scarlett. With a smirk, Scarlett reached up to their hair, took hold of it, and yanked.

Andrew suddenly understood the act better as Scarlett pulled off their - _his_ \- wig. He supposed the humour came from the distraught expression on the man’s face, while also having the added benefit of riling the women further. And it spoke of certain men’s sexist and homophobic behaviour. The entire thing was genius, but Andrew barely lingered on those thoughts.

Instead, he took in the man with the auburn hair and the piercing blue eyes. His nose was just a little crooked, as if someone had broken it once. With his smirk, his face was devastating. And that wasn’t the only thing that was enticing about him; his body was lean yet, now that Andrew was paying more attention, was clearly full of wiry muscles. Not to mention those strong legs, perfect for locking around hips… 

“Good Lord,” breathed Nicky from beside him.

That jolted Andrew from his thoughts and he reached blindly for a drink. This man, whoever he was, was off limits. Not only was there probably a no touching rule, but Andrew wasn’t about to go searching for him. He downed the glass - thankfully it was his own whisky - and watched Nicky drool from the corner of his eye.

“I feel dirty,” Aaron muttered, petulantly. 

“Why? Isn’t he glorious?” Nicky asked, voice distant as he stared.

“Erik,” Andrew said in an attempt to get Nicky to stop.

Nicky waved a hand in dismissal, not taking his eyes from Scarlett. “He understands.”

“Haven’t you seen him before?” Kevin asked. He sounded pensive and Andrew glanced at him, eyeing Kevin’s confused frown.

“Nope,” answered Nicky. “I must have come here on a night he doesn’t work. Well, _work it_. God, I want him to step on me.”

Andrew slammed his glass on the table and pointed at Nicky in warning. His startled cousin stared at him with wide eyes. “Nicky,” was all Andrew said, his tone all the deterrent he needed.

There was movement on the stage and Andrew glanced up to see Scarlett turning to go. Looking up was a mistake; Scarlett’s hips swayed to and fro as he walked, his stilettos dangling from his fingers. Andrew’s heart thumped and he shifted in his seat, just enough to lounge against the back of it, just enough to spread his legs a little. Whoever this man was, he was a liability.

Renee reappeared, microphone in hand as she applauded Scarlett. “Isn’t Scarlett wonderful?” she said. “It’s why he’s our favourite male performer.”

“He’s your only male performer!” someone shouted.

“Yes,” Renee conceded. “And you all love him too, don’t you?” Her eyes drifted over the crowd and seemed to linger on Andrew.

A burning sensation shot through Andrew and he decided that he’d had enough. Standing, he gestured vaguely towards the toilets to ward off Nicky’s questions and wandered off. One of the waiters who had been flirting with Andrew was, thankfully, on the way, and he stopped by him, waiting until the man turned to address Andrew.

“Can I help you?” the nameless man asked, politely.

Andrew let his gaze travel up and down the man’s clothes, lingering at his crotch. He only returned his gaze to the man’s face when he saw the bulge in his pants grow. The waiter’s cheeks were flushed and he was biting his lip, eyeing Andrew in much the same manner. “Sex?” Andrew said, jerking his head towards the toilets.

“Uhh.” The waiter glanced around. “Sure. If it’s quick.”

“It will be, if you keep your hands to yourself.”

For a moment, the man looked confused. He almost took too long to respond; Andrew was already considering looking for another potential hook-up. But, finally, the man nodded. “Okay.”

Waving him forward, Andrew followed in his wake. It probably looked as though the waiter was showing him the way or helping him find something like his coat. Before they left the room completely, though, Andrew looked over his shoulder at the stage, ignoring what was on it to picture Scarlett in all his glory. It made his arousal only grow and he forcibly returned his focus to the waiter.

There was no way, after all, that Andrew would ever see Scarlett again.

* * *

One month later, and Andrew was a disappointment to himself.

It was as they left the club that first night that Nicky, chattering away as usual, mentioned that the VIP passes lasted for a year before needing to be renewed. Andrew, Aaron, Kevin and Nicky could now skip the queue, ask for certain foods or drinks to be prepared before turning up or even ask for a seat at a table right in front of the stage. That nugget of information had stuck in Andrew’s mind, as had the image of Scarlett without his wig. For a couple of days, Andrew had resisted the siren call, taking long showers instead. But Scarlett even turned up there, flushed and panting with his legs trembling as Andrew took him in his mouth… 

He always came harder than he had with any other fantasy and it was what drove him to return to the club.

Andrew told himself that, if he turned up at the club and Scarlett wasn’t there, he wouldn’t return. But Scarlett had been on the stage, this time on his own and wearing a more masculine version of his previous costume. He teasingly stripped until he was wearing nothing but a tight t-shirt that unfortunately covered his chest and a pair of briefs that must have been a size too small to make him bulge like they did. And Andrew was stuck.

Over the course of the month, Andrew had seen Scarlett do a variety of things. There were the acts where he dressed like a woman and partially stripped for them. Now that Andrew knew the truth, he could see that, though he seemed a woman at first glance, it was easy to tell that he was a man. It was mostly from his bearing and, also, because he didn’t seem to care what he was wearing. Somehow, it made him all the more attractive, perhaps because he could show off his legs with those heels…

Sometimes, he wore heels in his other acts, but he wore trousers instead of a skirt. Then, he would be part of a bigger comedy act or he would be dancing erotically. Once, he wore _very_ short shorts - everyone in the club had nearly died when they saw him. Andrew had had to drag a waiter away with him as soon as he saw him and missed most of his… _can-can_. Those legs… On another occasion, Scarlett had been dressed like some of the men - a plain top and suspenders with a hat tipped at a jaunty angle, all in red - and he had sung. Andrew had been frozen in his seat, all the more so when Scarlett seemed to lock his eyes onto Andrew’s, something that happened more and more frequently as Andrew spent more of his time in the club.

Then, one day, after weeks of keeping his work and private life separate, Andrew’s worlds collided with a dead body. 

She was blonde, done up in a high plait. Her eyes were a dull brown. The clothes she wore screamed clubbing but classy. There was no handbag, no ID, no phone, nobody reported missing in the last 24 hours. A Jane Doe lay only a few streets from _The Fox’s Paws_ with a fading, orange stamp on the back of her hand.

“Huh,” said Kevin from where he was crouched beside her. “I didn’t think we’d ever go back to that place.”

Andrew clenched his jaw, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned on his heel; he had seen enough and it was time to begin the investigation. The first stop was definitely going to be _The Fox’s Paws_ and he began to stroll along the street towards it. Hurried footsteps announced Kevin’s arrival as he caught up with him.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” he grumbled, probably referring to the fact that Kevin had likely had to rhyme off a list of instructions to the uniformed officers instead of overseeing everything himself.

“Keep up,” was all Andrew said.

It was early afternoon when they reached the club’s staff entrance and requested entrance. A cleaner let them in and led them to the manager’s office where a woman not much older than them was tapping at her computer. She had brown hair tied up in a bun and was wearing a flowery blouse. A tiny fox pin was attached to her lapel. Seated across from her was a man who had squeezed into one of the chairs there. He looked like he was as annoying as Kevin - far too tall for his own good. His black hair was gelled up in spikes. At their entrance, he twisted in his seat and stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket, a welcoming smile on his face. Andrew noted that he was rather handsome, in a puppy dog kind of way, only heightened by the orange fox’s paw on his white hoodie.

Kevin made the introductions. “Hello. I am Detective Day, this is Detective Minyard. Could we have a few moments of your time, Miss…?”

“Wilds,” the woman said, standing to shake hands. Kevin did so but Andrew ignored her so she lowered her hand. “Dan Wilds. This is Matt Boyd. He’s the stage manager and a barman here.”

“And her boyfriend,” Matt added, cheerfully. He shook Kevin’s hand but only nodded to Andrew. It was a nice gesture and Andrew looked away before he could curl his lip in disgust. “What can we do for you?”

“Do you know this woman?” Kevin asked, handing over his phone. A picture of the deceased was on it, her eyes closed and mouth slack. 

Dan took the device and scrutinised it for a moment before handing it over to Matt. “No,” she said. “Sorry.”

Matt, however, frowned. “I dunno. She looks _kind of_ familiar. But I see a lot of faces when I’m at the bar, despite all the waiting staff. She’s not anyone we employ, though, if that’s what you were thinking. What happened to her?”

“She was strangled,” Andrew said, bluntly. 

Now that they had gotten to this part of the questioning, Andrew let his gaze wander. Despite the ostentatiousness of the main room, the office looked like something that someone would have in their house. A couple of armchairs had been shoved to the side. Full binders were stacked into the shelves and a filing cabinet had been shoved into the corner. Magnets adorned it with little cartoon dogs and souvenirs from other states. Photos of various people were stuck to the wall. Wandering closer, Andrew’s gaze was drawn to one of Dan and Matt grinning at the camera, their arms around a shorter Scarlett, his smile small and rather shy. Andrew quickly spun away and focussed on their Persons of Interest as they expressed their shock and sympathy.

“That poor girl!” Dan exclaimed. “Who is she? Do we know her? Maybe it’s just the angle.” She reached for the phone and looked at the photo again. Andrew surveyed the two of them coolly, interested in the fact that they hadn’t become outraged that people could ‘do something like that’ like most people did.

“She was found nearby,” Kevin explained.

“There was an orange stamp on her hand,” Andrew added, deciding not to spare them.

“She came here,” said Matt, his eyes wide and troubled.

“Do you remember her?” Kevin asked.

“No.” Matt shook his head. “Not really. I might have served her, but, like I said, there’s a lot of people and most get served at the tables, anyway.”

“We’ll need to talk to everyone who was here last night.”

“Of course,” said Dan, immediately. “Anything you need. We’ve already cleaned up in the main room so you can go there to talk to people, if you like. I would offer this room, but…” She gestured at her computer. “Today is the day I place orders of alcohol and cleaning supplies. I can’t afford to skip that task.”

Andrew eyed her suspiciously. Could she be about to delete a lot of information? He dismissed that thought for now. “Give us a list of all your employees that were here last night,” he said. 

“I’ll print that off right now. Matt, can you show them to a table? And call everyone in.”

“Of course.” Matt stood and rounded the desk to bend in half to place a kiss on Dan’s head. “See you later.”

“Yes, yes,” said Dan, waving him off. Andrew noted her blush before he turned to follow the two giants he now had to suffer walking beside.

Matt led them to the middle of the room and got them drinks. Then he ushered the people who were actually already in the club over to them. They interviewed them and got nothing. Others appeared over the course of the next couple of hours. None of them had anything useful. Of course, they even had to interview the waiter that Andrew had been hooking up with in lieu of Scarlett. He was so nervous that Kevin was suspicious of him for long enough that Andrew had to definitively tell him that it wasn’t him. At least Andrew learnt his name: Lee.

Finally, Matt came over. “That’s everyone that was here last night - except for Neil.”

“Neil?” asked Andrew, running his eyes down the list. Neil Josten, it said, the only one not scored through. Andrew hadn’t been at the club the night before and vaguely wondered if this Neil Josten was Scarlett. Then he forcibly excised the faint glimmer of hope that seemed to spark inside him. There was no room for feelings. Besides, what were the chances that it would be him?

“Yeah,” said Matt, dragging Andrew’s attention back to him. “He’s got more than one job and he’s at the grocery store today. It’ll be another couple of hours before he gets here, just after we’ve opened.”

“Which store is this?” Kevin asked.

Helpfully, Matt gave them the address. “But I’m going out to get food for Dan and me. I could bring you some and you could just wait for him, if that would help…?”

Kevin scrunched his nose up, clearly wanting to get the last interview out of the way. “No, we’ll-”

“I want ice cream,” Andrew told Matt. He wasn’t going to admit to being hungry, but he was, and if Kevin wanted them to drive across town before going straight back to the precinct, he had another thing coming. Besides, if Neil _was_ Scarlett, he would rather meet him in the club - it would be best to keep Scarlett where he belonged. If he wasn’t, but Scarlett was around, maybe the unattainable could become attainable and he could move on from the club entirely.

“Andrew,” said Kevin in a disapproving tone. Andrew ignored him.

“Sure,” said Matt, grinning at them. Andrew narrowed his eyes at his amusement. “What kind?”

“Ice cream,” Andrew said. “Cookies and Cream,” he added, plucking one of his favourite flavours from his internal list.

“Sure thing, dude. I’ll be back soon.”

As soon as Matt had left, Kevin turned to scowl at Andrew. “What are you doing?'' he demanded.

“Getting us free food,” Andrew pointed out, waving his hand to try to dismiss him. 

“We should be talking to this Neil guy as soon as possible, not relaxing here,” Kevin protested.

“Nobody knows anything,” said Andrew, plucking his glass from the table. Sadly, it was only filled with water, but he downed it anyway. “This Neil isn’t likely to know anything about her either.”

“Then we should go back to the precinct and see what the forensics team-”

“No.” Andrew stood. “I’m getting my ice cream.” He turned on his heel and began to stalk away.

“Where are you going?!” Kevin called after him.

“Bathroom,” Andrew answered, even as he caught Lee’s gaze and jerked his head to summon him.

* * *

Eventually, the club opened and people started to trickle in. Backstage, people were starting to get ready, warming up voices and stretching between getting dressed. Matt flitted between the bar and the dressing rooms, sweetly getting whatever anyone needed. The MC, Renee, wandered by, a mic in hand.

“Where is he?” Kevin demanded, back to being insufferable.

“Who knows?” said Andrew, glad he’d taken a smoking break. Still, his fingers twitched at his side, wanting to smoke for something to do other than strangling Kevin to make him shut up. “Maybe he’s dead, too.”

Before Kevin could answer, the staff door was wrenched open and someone came rushing inside. Andrew glanced over and stilled. He was suddenly grateful that he’d been asked not to smoke in the backstage area. Scarlett had just rushed in, his face a little flushed in his hurry. It took Andrew a moment to take in his baggy, faded t-shirt and holey jeans. Andrew clenched his jaw when he realised that, despite his awful clothing, Scarlett looked undeniably hot.

Matt materialised almost as soon as the door had swung closed. “Neil!” he exclaimed, making Andrew’s heart thump painfully. “Where have you been? Are you okay?”

Scarlett- _Neil Josten_ glowered at nothing. “Stupid Craig didn’t turn up for his shift on time,” he explained, likely referring to his other job. “How long have I got?”

“Uh…” Matt glanced at Andrew and Kevin. “Well, you’ve got twenty minutes, more or less. But-”

“Right,” said Neil, distractedly. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“Ah, Neil!” Matt scurried to catch up with the shorter man who seemed to be faster than expected. Andrew watched them go and only moved when Kevin huffed and followed them.

Once they had weaved their way through the people milling about, they found themselves at the far end of the hall, furthest from the stage. Matt was just coming out of a door as they got there and he pulled the door shut behind him. He spotted them coming and grimaced, glancing at the door. Kevin didn’t seem to notice - as usual - and he marched right up to Matt. 

“Well?” he demanded.

“Uh, he needs to get changed, so maybe wait ten minutes-” Matt began.

Kevin cut him off, scowling deeper. “No. No more waiting. Let us in.”

Matt grimaced but obediently turned and knocked on the door. Slowly, he opened it enough to be heard through a small gap. “Hey, Neil. There’s people here to see you.”

A voice from inside said, “What? Who?”

“Detectives.”

There was a long silence. “Why?” Neil’s voice was deliberately even.

“Someone who was in our club last night is dead and-”

“We want to ask you some questions,” Kevin butted in. “Let us in so we can get this over with.”

“Hang…” A grunt followed. “On…” Neil trailed off for a moment. “Right. Come in.”

Matt opened the door and got out of the way. “I’ll be at the bar if you need me,” he told them before leaving them to it, giving Neil a worried look.

Inside, the brighter light showed that the dressing room was a mess. There were clothes all over the place; over chairs and on the vanity and draped over a partition. A fox decorated the latter, but was partially obscured by what looked like a long, flowing dress. Make up was set up in no particular order on the vanity. On several polystyrene mannequin heads were various wigs, all with bright red hair that had been done up in various styles. The rucksack that Neil had been carrying was abandoned by the chair that was directly in front of the mirror, photos taped around its edges. Andrew took in all these details before looking at the man himself.

Neil stood in the middle of the room in his boxers and a black and red, lacy corset that had flimsy sleeves dark enough to cover the muscles Andrew knew were in his arms. He was in the process of adjusting it, grimacing as he tweaked it to and fro. Laces dangled at his back and Andrew had to resist the urge to move forward and help him - or remove it completely. The man looked up at them, looking from one to the other. When those striking blue eyes caught Andrew’s, he had to force himself to take a deep breath.

“So?” Neil said. He got the corset positioned to his liking and reached behind himself with one hand to tug on the laces, bit by bit.

Kevin wasted no time, clearly unaffected by the fact that Neil was mostly undressed. He held up his phone. “I’m Detective Day and this is Detective Minyard. Have you ever seen this woman before?” he demanded, his patience apparently running thin.

Without stopping what he was doing, Neil peered at the photo and considered it, tilting his head to and fro. He reached behind himself with his other arm once he’d tightened the corset to his satisfaction and pulled the ends tight. “What colour of eyes did she have?” he asked, his voice strained.

“Brown,” said Andrew, forcibly stopping his gaze from being drawn to Neil’s bare legs. 

“Huh,” said Neil - or grunted, at least. He tugged on the laces and tied it off in a complicated knot that, when he turned to look for another piece of his outfit, turned into a delicate bow. “Yeah, I’ve seen her. She’s Mandy.”

“You have?” Kevin perked up at that. To Andrew, he looked like a hunting dog that had caught the scent of prey. “Mandy, did you say? Do you know a last name?” 

“Sorry, no,” said Neil, distractedly. He spotted what he was looking for and pulled out a pair of black, lacy knickers. Andrew quickly turned to scrutinise the photos on the mirror. “I only saw her for a few minutes last night.”

“Where? In the audience?”

There was the noise of clothes being shifted - or being removed. Andrew focussed on a before and after set of photos: Neil in some scruffy clothes and longer, messy hair, still annoyingly attractive; Neil as a male version of Scarlet, the corset shaping his body into something even sexier. Forcing his gaze away, Andrew listened to Neil obviously stepping into the knickers and averted his gaze from the reflection in the mirror. “No,” he heard Neil say, focussing on that. “She was lurking outside the staff door, waiting for me.”

“Why?” demanded Andrew. If Neil was straight, he was going to be bitterly disappointed. Not that he would be flirting with him at all, anyway.

“I dunno,” Neil said, moving closer. Andrew could see his reflection getting bigger and he straightened, stepping away from Neil’s space. Neil searched the vanity for a moment before he found the stockings and garter belts he was looking for. Andrew swallowed and turned, annoyed at himself as he pretended to inspect the room. He couldn’t look at Neil’s legs, especially when Neil sat on the chair and lifted his leg to roll the garter belt and stocking on. “She said she was my ‘biggest fan’.”

“Can you take us through everything she said? Everything that happened?” Kevin asked, sounding almost eager.

Andrew chanced a look at Neil and saw him glance at Kevin through the mirror. “Well, she was waiting for me when I left after my shift,” he started.

“What about the rest of the performers?” Andrew interjected.

“They usually stick around,” Neil explained, looking to Andrew as he got the first stocking situated. The movement of his hand made Andrew’s eyes trail up to his lacy crotch and he jerked his gaze back to the mirror. “For the alcohol, watching the other acts, some of them help out on the floor too, come out as waiters and waitresses. I always leave after my bit so I can go home and sleep before the grocery store job. And the waiting job at the café.”

“You work three jobs?” Kevin said in surprise.

“Yes,” Neil replied, raising an eyebrow at him. “Is that a problem?”

“Ah. No.”

“Anyway, I don’t know how she knew when I’d be leaving, but she was there,” Neil explained. “She said, ‘Hi, I’m Mandy!’, seemed rather excited. I said, ‘Um, hi…’ and tried to get around her. Then she said the whole ‘biggest fan’ thing and asked me to sign the souvenir brochure she had. So I did, as Scarlett-”

“What souvenir brochure?” asked Andrew in confusion.

Neil looked at him and Andrew swore his lips twitched in something like amusement. “It’s like one of those… charity calendars? You know, where the firemen are all shirtless. All of the acts posed for ‘sexy’ pictures and they’ve put them all in a booklet. They sell them at the bar or you can buy them from the wait staff if you ask. There’s some other stuff, too, though I don’t really know what they’re selling.”

“So this Mandy would have had to have gone to the bar or asked the wait staff to-” Kevin began, but Neil interrupted him.

“Not necessarily,” he pointed out, pulling on the other stocking. “Anyone could have bought it for her. Or she could have bought it another night. It’s been around for a few days now. Either way, I signed it, handed her back the pen and tried to leave, but she grabbed hold of my wrist.” He waved his left hand around. “I could have pulled away if I hadn’t been surprised, but she tugged me to a stop instead. She asked me to stay and have a drink with them, but I don’t drink and I told her so.”

Andrew exchanged a glance with Kevin. They’d seen a lot of oblivious people in their time, but Neil truly didn’t seem to understand the insinuation Mandy had made. Maybe he wasn’t interested in women after all, or maybe he was just distracted. Either way, the detectives returned their attention to Neil when he shifted in his seat, sorting through the make up.

“And then?” Kevin prompted.

“I pulled away from her. She seemed disappointed, but it had nothing to do with me, so I started to leave. She was persistent, though, and hurried after me.” Neil found what he was looking for and grabbed a brush that he dabbed against a tissue. It probably needed better cleaning than that, but Neil was obviously in a hurry. He closed an eye and began to apply a pale blue eyeshadow. “She asked me for my number so she could call me so we could meet up, and I asked her why I would do that. By that point, we’d reached the street and she stopped. I left her behind and made my way home.”

“You walked?” asked Andrew, incredulously.

“I don’t live too far away,” Neil explained. 

“Where?”

Neil rattled off his address - it was in the seedier part of town. “One of the motel owners knows me,” he added, apropos of nothing. He stopped moving and blinked at himself, one eye perfect while his other still needed the powder applied. “I help him out sometimes for a bit of extra money,” he finally said.

Unfortunately - _fortunately_ \- this meant that they didn’t conveniently have a suspect as Andrew had been dreading to figure out from this exchange. If Mandy had followed Neil and he’d tried to make her leave him alone in a violent altercation, then that would have at least given them a lead. But Neil was saying that he lived in the opposite direction of where Mandy’s body had been found.

“Can anyone corroborate that?” Kevin still asked.

“Matt,” said Neil, now painting his other eyelid. “He’s always worried that I won’t make it home.” He rolled his one open eye. “After ten minutes, he calls me. And the guy on the first floor, though I’m not sure how much sense you’ll get out of him. He’s usually on drugs of some sort.” Neil shrugged a delicate shoulder. “I don’t live with anyone, so I don’t really have an alibi. But I didn’t kill her; I’m not stupid and she didn’t seem worth the inconvenience.”

 _Interesting,_ thought Andrew. That wasn’t something that someone would normally say. There was something about Neil that seemed to be tugging at him, some sort of instinct that said that Neil had had an intriguing past. A past that would be similar to Andrew’s, though Neil looked as though he was still in the process of pulling himself back up from rock bottom. 

Kevin, however, frowned at Neil. “Well, do you know anything _useful_?” he demanded.

Neil glanced at him before rolling his lipsticks around. Andrew tried to calm his treacherous body that was trying to tell him that Neil was about to become insanely hot. “I thought,” said Neil as he plucked up one stick, “that everything I’ve said has been useful.”

“What do you mean?” Kevin demanded, beginning to sound fed up. Andrew took a deep breath; he was going to have to deal with that all the way to the precinct.

“Well, Mandy was probably here with friends. And someone bought that brochure, so there might be a paper trail so you can find those friends. I left her behind, but she wasn’t that far from the club entrance so she probably had a stamp and could get back inside.” Neil lifted the dark red - _sultry,_ Andrew’s mind provided - lipstick and held it to his lips. “Maybe start there?”

Bristling, Kevin took a step forward. Neil ignored him and started applying the lipstick; Andrew’s gaze focussed on his mouth, unable to look away. “Look here,” Kevin began, sounding haughty. Neil rolled his eyes in response. “You’re possibly the last person to see Mandy alive.”

“Depends on when she was killed,” Neil responded with only half his lips done.

“That-” Kevin broke off. “When did you leave?”

“Ten or thereabouts.” Which put paid to him having killed Mandy when she was trying to badger him into a date. She had been killed in the early hours of the morning, Andrew remembered the coroner saying. Still, Kevin was right to suspect him - no real alibi and the only one to have had contact with the victim last night. Unless… Andrew’s mind worked through it. If no-one had seen her that night but Neil… 

“Were you working the night before last?” Andrew asked.

“Not here,” Neil replied, blinking his pretty eyes at Andrew. Then his brow furrowed. “Wait. You think she wasn’t actually here, in the club, last night? That she came on other nights, worked out my schedule and-” Neil broke off, his eyes wide as he shuddered. “Fuck. That’s creepy.”

“It would explain why the stamp was faded,” Andrew told Kevin. “And why no-one saw her.”

“Hm,” said Kevin. “Still doesn’t explain what happened to her after you left her alone.”

“I’ll leave that to you to figure out,” Neil said, his tone somewhat of a dismissal. “I’m running out of time here.” He raised a pointed eyebrow.

“Well,” said Kevin, obviously annoyed that he hadn’t gotten a bigger lead than he had been hoping. “Thank you for what time you’ve given us. But we’ll probably be in touch in the future.”

“Looking forward to it,” said Neil, dryly. Kevin frowned at Neil but nodded to him and turned to go. Andrew let Kevin leave, his eyes still lingering on Neil’s mouth through the mirror. Just as he turned to go with a restrained nod of his head, Neil called him back. “Detective Minyard?”

Andrew glanced at Kevin who had paused in the doorway. He waved Kevin away and, with a suspicious look at Neil, Kevin disappeared down the corridor, leaving the door open behind him. Taking a breath, Andrew turned back to Neil and moved a little closer. “Yes?”

“I was just wondering,” Neil said, swivelling in the chair to face him properly. Andrew tried and failed to stop his eyes from travelling all the way down Neil’s body. He couldn’t help it, especially when he noticed the shift in Neil’s demeanour, from his normal self to Scarlett. “What do you think of my performances?”

“They’re interesting enough,” Andrew admitted, not even bothering to conceal it. “How?”

Neil grinned, his teeth white against the colour of his lips. “Not many people come here and take up one table to themselves.” The performer shifted slightly, his legs widening a little. Andrew tried not to die of heart failure at the sight, annoyed at his own reaction. He didn’t do feelings or _desire_. “Does the other guy know? Day, was it?”

“No,” said Andrew, shortly. Hopefully, they’d never see each other again and Kevin would never know about Andrew’s short-lived obsession.

“His name’s not Day?” asked Neil, smirking with those dangerous lips.

Andrew only narrowed his eyes at him. “Is that all?”

“Well,” Neil said, slowly. He tilted his head in consideration, exposing his neck and making Andrew’s teeth ache with a _want_ that hit him so hard he had to inhale sharply to keep himself under control. “They’re still selling those brochures.” Andrew stared blankly at Neil when he paused. Neil grinned. “They’re only thirty dollars and it’s for a good cause, you know. That way you might save a bit of money.”

Frowning, Andrew asked, “How so?”

“You can look at me at home instead of coming here and spending money on drinks.”

With great effort, Andrew stayed still and kept his face blank. There was a heat, though, that was building. His clothing was beginning to feel constricting. So, in an effort to seem disinterested, he said, “Is that all?”

“Yeah,” Neil admitted, looking amused. “Thought I’d help you out more than I already have.”

“Whatever,” said Andrew, ready to leave. His body took a few moments to unlock from the position he had forced himself to freeze in. 

“Goodbye then, Detective Minyard,” Neil said, rolling Andrew’s name around his mouth as if he was savouring it. Andrew swallowed as he turned to go. But Neil wasn’t ready for that, apparently. “See you later,” he added, and Andrew looked over his shoulder to glare at him. Amusement still shining in his eyes, Neil pursed his lips and kissed the air in Andrew’s direction, complete with a little “Mwah!”

Andrew glared harder before he turned away, stalking out of the door and willing the heat in his body to dissipate.


End file.
